The Michigan Daily - Monday, October 6, 1997 - 9A
Girls' kisses up to genre's conventions
Though not quite 'Seven,' latest serial-killer thriller makes for wild ride
By Joshua Pederson
Fo the Daily
In my mind, the genre of the serial
iller movie has been defined, at least
Wst recently, by "Seven." For this rea-
son, all movies of this type must ulti-
mately be measured by the standard that
"Seven" set back in
1995.
So by casting
Morgan Freeman
as the hero of a
ttriller of this
y type, the creators
of "Kiss the Girls"
just begging for
rawn.
RE
At Brie
parallels to be
What, then, has placed "Seven" at
the pinnacle of the modern field?
First of all, it has a plot that is both
original and intelligent. The viewer
r must be kept interested. In this
respect, "Kiss the Girls" succeeds
brilliantly. Based on the novel of the
same name written by James
Patterson, it is the story of a detec-
*e - played by Freeman - who is
drawn into a seeming serial murder
case by the disappearance of his
niece.
The plot takes a unique twist upon
the audience's discovery that the antag-
onist is not technically a serial killer. He
is more correctly described as a serial
lover of sorts. He collects talented,
Ight) Morgan Freeman and Ashley
Judd star as Detective Alex Cross and
Dr. Kate McTleman, respectively, in
Gary Fleder's "Kiss the Girls." (Below)
Ashley Judd's performance In the film
leaves much to be desired.
beautiful, young women for his
"gallery."
But a solely interesting plot doesn't
cut it. A film must engage the view-
er's intelligence as well. While the
audience is drawn into the distorted
psyche of "Seven"'s killer by his
deranged view of
V I E W Justice, it is
intrigued, in "Kiss
ss the Girls the Girls," by the
collector's twisted
t** conception of
arwood and Showcase love. Calling him-
self "Casanova,"
he is motivated to his heinous master
plan, in many ways, by a need to be
needed.
The audience must be able to iden-
tify with some corner of the enemy's
mind in order to spurn the necessary
hatred. Looking to accomplish this
goal early in the film, the opening
credits are a chilling illustration of
the collector's mindset. In a time
when opening credits are too often
thrown away with a pointless display
of computer animation, the first five
minutes of "Kiss the Girls" give a
strong start to a mentally captivating
plot.
Next, the story must keep the viewer
guessing. The closing scene of "Seven"
offers a frightening closure to a baffling
film. In this trait, "Kiss the Girls" does
not fare so well.
To the connoisseur of suspense
thrillers, the film may prove to be
incredibly predictable. So, as a viewer,
make a game of it. First, see if you can
pick out the collector within the film's
first 10 minutes.
Second, choose which of Freeman's
sidekicks will be gunned down at the
movie's halfway point. Third, decide
beforehand how many times Kate
(Ashley Judd), the kick boxing heroine,
will beat the living tar out of the collec-
tor.
The scene that may puzzle you most
is the last one, the final confrontation
between hero and villain. Try to figure
out how, and if, Freeman will escape the
crisis. If none of the other scenes were
suspenseful to this point, this one will
keep you squirming, if only for a
moment.
As with any production, a strong
cast goes a long way to the creation
of a good movie. "Seven" fulfills this
requirement brilliantly. And while not
up to the level of its forerunner, the
cast of "Kiss the Girls" is
respectable.
If choosing Freeman as the film's
lead must necessarily cause compar-
isons to be drawn to "Seven," it is a
risk wisely taken.
Every time comments arise as to
Freeman's age, he takes a role where
he is more the action hero than his
last. To everyone taking the "too old"
stance, just look for his "Shaft"
scenes, and all critics must be
inevitably silenced. His physical pres-
ence is matched only by his acting
ability. His characterization of Cross
is flawless.
Ashley Judd is adequate, though not
equal to Freeman's performance.
Having escaped the collector's prison,
she is jarringly affected, and then just as
suddenly cool and collected. Her pre-
sentation is decent, but somewhat unbe-
lievable.
Just as in "Seven," discovering the
actor playing the killer is a bit of a
surprise. So as not to ruin the movie's
ending, the collector's identity will
remain unknown for now. In this char-
acter, the voice is the aspect that
makes the psycho, and the actor
behind the mask alters his very appro-
priately.
So, while Morgan Freeman's
reprise as astute forensic psychologist
may not live up to the first, it is
exceptional.
And while the movie as a whole does
not match the disturbing excellence of
"Seven," "Kiss the Girls" is a good
attempt at the genre that its predecessor
defined. Its strong points far outweigh
its flaws, making it definitely worth the
trip.
Morgan Freeman gives a compelling performance In "KISS the Girls."
~\
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